Where The Heart Is
by Luinlothana
Summary: Chloe was doing her best to cope after Lucifer left. But a job of a police detective is a dangerous one and choices get harder when the eternity stretches before you. Set after S4 finale.


Disclaimer: Any intellectual property attached to the story below belongs to parties other than the humble author of the story in question. Who would gladly transfer even the rights to the remaining few original ideas to the parties currently in possession of the rights to the recognisable elements as a gesture of gratitude for presenting the stories to fans like herself. No profit is being derived from the following work and the purposes for its creation are purely recreational.

Summary: Chloe was doing her best to cope after Lucifer left. But a job of a police detective is a dangerous one and choices get harder when the eternity stretches before you. Set after S4 finale.

Many thanks to my beta silver-doe287 for helping me with this story.

Where The Heart Is

"If we're right, this case could be wrapped up by the evening," Dan mused, as Chloe parked the car next to an abandoned house.

She glanced at the unimpressive building. The windows and the front door were boarded up, but the rusty fence leading to the back of the house had an opening large enough to go through.

"We haven't found anything yet, Dan," she reminded, mildly annoyed. Her ex-husband's propensity to view every case as something to be dealt with as fast as possible, details be damned, was one of his less endearing qualities. Still, when he had offered to be her permanent partner a few months after Lucifer left, she agreed, if only because he knew her well enough to do the job without trying to fill the void the absence of her previous partner caused.

"Just a matter of time right? This location sounded pretty good."

"I don't care how it _sounds_ as long as we get the evidence. _If_ this is where they kept the hostage they might have left some evidence behind," she said as they exited the car.

"This could even be our murder scene. The spot where they dumped the body sure wasn't."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," she said in low voice as they began circling the house, hoping the conversation didn't draw anyone's attention.

Just as they suspected, the back door was still intact. After looking through a very dirty window to ensure there was no movement inside, they drew their weapons and tried the doorknob.

The door opened effortlessly without as much as a protest of the old hinges. Chloe motioned for Dan to cover her and stepped in, surveying the room with her gun at the ready. The old kitchen, devoid of furniture and gutted from all serviceable equipment, didn't provide any hiding place for potential suspects, allowing them to move to the next room.

It was darker there, the boarded up windows not letting much light in. This room wasn't furnished, save for a few large cardboard boxes and a single cot with a dirty blanket next to it. There were brown stains on the blanket and there was some duct tape still stuck to the cot.

"Looks like we were right," she heard Dan commenting behind her, as he took in the sight. "Seems like it's time to send for a forensic unit."

"Let's just make sure that there isn't anyone –" Chloe broke off as they heard a quiet rustling sound in the adjacent room. Instantly, she started inching towards the empty doorframe; suddenly, two men leaped out of the room, firing at them. She dashed for cover and returned fire, hearing Dan doing the same behind her.

With some dismay, Chloe noticed she couldn't properly take aim and her moves were more sluggish than she would have liked, resulting in the men passing them and bolting through the open back door.

She fully intended to give chase, but for some reason her body was unwilling to listen. She looked down, only now realising that the trajectory of some of the initial bullets couldn't possibly have missed her.

III

For a split second, Chloe could only stare at the growing red stains on her abdomen without comprehension. Dan's voice, sounding a bit muffled to her ears, called her name in a desperate tone, before reporting an officer down.

It wasn't until she realised that she could no longer stand and that she was being lowered to the floor by her ex-husband-turned-partner, that it occurred to her that he was invoking the code because of her. When the pain finally registered, making its way through her shock, it at least brought her some clarity.

Her shirt was already soaked, as were Dan's sleeves as he desperately attempted to slow the bleeding. It was rather obvious from the look on his face that he wasn't succeeding: they both had seen enough shooting victims to know when a situation was hopeless.

The first instinctual wave of fear rolled through her, before it was tempered by the sudden realisation that unlike most humans, she actually knew for a fact that it wouldn't finish here. There actually _was_ an afterlife. You actually _could_ go to a better place and meet all your lost loved ones—

Her thoughts were becoming a bit hazy but the wording of her thought brought them back into focus. She felt an emotional pain rise up inside her to match the physical one; True, there was a better place she could go when she died, but for her it would actually mean never seeing someone she loved again. Frankly, she could not imagine a _worse_ fate at the moment.

Plus, she was leaving Trixie before she had a chance to grow up, which brought her a pang of guilt. Once she felt it though, she felt a sudden inspiration, as her mind focused on her previous line of thought.

With some surprise she realised Dan was talking to her.

"-is on the way. You just need to hold on. You can do that, Chlo." There was desperation in his voice and when she looked at him, tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Dan," she tried to say, her voice barely above a whisper. "Dan, I need you to tell me again, why I should have been paying more attention to you and Trixie. Like you told me when we separated."

"Chloe? What are you on about? I only said that—"

"No! You said that because you knew it made me feel guilty. I need to hear it now."

"That doesn't _matter_ right now."

"Yes, it does. I never _did_ pay you enough attention, did I? After I told myself I would always be there for my family. And now I'm leaving you to take care of Trixie alone. As if your life wasn't complicated enough."

"My life is fine and you are not leaving me. You just need to hold on a moment longer and—"

"I could never... enjoy... what I had... Not with... you and not with...Luci—" Her voice failed her but it was true enough. She wasted what little time they had because of her doubts, and now she might never see him again. It was funny how the worst punishment she could think of was actually being sent somewhere where she could never see him again.

Darkness was encroaching on the edges of her vision. A thought occurred to her.

"I cont'minat'd... the scene... You won't... be able to... catch..."

Shadows threatening on the edges enveloped her now, as she sunk into absolute blackness.

And then, there was light.

III

He felt something shift inexplicably as soon as it happened; but even if he couldn't detect it, the unusual commotion would have drawn his attention from the frustratingly dull existence of the place.

At times, he almost wished the demons would dare to rebel again. Still, after they witnessed the fate of Dromos, all thought of disobedience seemed to have evaporated from their heads for the time being. Admittedly, he might have taken out all of the frustration at what he was forced to leave behind on the rogue demon, bringing it to the point of demons actually wondering why they had missed his presence. Even with the example made, he didn't dare leave them, lest one of the infernal creatures had poorer memory than others. Still, awareness of the necessity of his stay didn't make the place any more pleasant.

Which was exactly why he welcomed the diversion in the form of whatever it was that caused the uncommon sensation. He could feel it clearly, using it like a beacon as he flew in its direction. Once he landed, the sensation became almost overwhelming. Right there, coming from the room that was slightly ajar – the brightness and the suffocating peace that he had not felt since the fall. No wonder the nearby demons were cowering away from the door.

Lucifer couldn't help his curiosity. Heavenly glow might terrify his demons but he was an angel – he put up with it long enough that it alone couldn't stop him from finding out what was happening.

He stepped inside, half-expecting the door to start closing as soon as he did. But no, it remained open, the only element marring the illusion of the sickeningly blissful oblivion of the Silver City. As soon as his mind made the connection, the previously empty room responded, bending to his will like all the others did, filling the space with the details his memory supplied. The very fact that it did was a testament that it still was, in fact, Hell. Yet, putting aside the demons' reaction, this was the least likely sight he could imagine anyone tormenting themselves with. What was—

In that moment he saw her, standing stiffly in the middle of it all, grief painted on her face. She was looking away from him, likely unaware he was there in the first place.

Disbelieving, he looked back for a moment, to ascertain the door was still there. It was open, waiting for him. Whatever was happening, it didn't seem to be an illusion aimed at him.

He stepped closer, just to make sure the familiar form really belonged to whom he thought it did.

"Detective?" he asked quietly.

Her reaction was instantaneous. Her head snapped up, she turned in his direction and her eyes found focus.

"Lucifer..." she choked out in a disbelieving tone before closing the remaining distance and embracing him, resting her head on his chest. His hands instinctively went up to pull her closer, drawing her in even as he frowned.

"Chloe, darling, what are you doing here?"

He felt her stiffen in his arms.

"We were working a case with Dan," she whispered eventually, the words coming slow as if she was only now recalling the event. "I got shot by a suspect."

"And I hope Daniel responded in kind, because I'll be _very _interested in _personally _explaining to whoever it was why harming you was the _worst_ idea in their miserable existence, but what I meant was what are you doing _here_?"

As he looked at her, there was a momentary confusion on her face, no doubt caused by the sudden awareness of her circumstances. It happened, of course, that humans didn't realise they were in Hell. There were numerous times when he made them realise just that, if only until the end of their loop; but this had to be the first time in his memory when, the moment the realisation hit, someone looked up at him and _smiled_.

"I seem to recall thinking that the absolute worst thing I could imagine happening to me would be to go somewhere where I could never see the man I love again. Would that explain it?"

He couldn't help but stare.

"A system working perfectly well for millennia. Trust you, Detective, to go and break it." Lucifer couldn't help the fondness colouring his voice, even as his heart was breaking. "Well, at least we got to see each other one last time. I'll need to call one of my siblings so we can clear up this confusion and get you to Heaven where you clearly belong."

"Haven't you been listening, Lucifer? What makes you think I want to go anywhere?"

"Don't you comprehend, Chloe? You are in _Hell_. The ultimate place of suffering. If there is one person who decidedly _doesn't _deserve it, it's you."

"Even if I prefer it to the alternative?"

"Chloe..."He brought his hand to her face and caressed her cheek. "You cannot seriously be contemplating spending the eternity trapped here, never seeing your loved ones again, with only myself and the demons for company."

"You know, I never minded your company that much. And you _have_ met my roommate, right? About this tall, sharp-tongued, goes by the name Mazikeen? She moved back in, by the way. It was supposed to be only until Charlie started sleeping through nights, but then she stayed anyway."

"Please darling, don't make it harder for us both. You must realise—"

"What I realise is that there is no way I could be with all the people I love anyway. Back when I didn't believe, I made my peace with never seeing my father again. Honestly, the idea that I _could_ never even occurred to me until Amenadiel passed me a message from him. I know I will miss Trixie terribly, but she has her whole life ahead of her and will have to grow up without me. By the time she'd see me again I would be more of a stranger associated with a hopefully fond memory than anything else. Which brings me to someone else I love, whom I would never see again if I went anywhere but here. I know you don't lie. Can you honestly tell me you'd rather never see me again?"

"I _can_ tell you that I would prefer to know you had guaranteed eternal peace and happiness instead of being stuck with me in the place of eternal damnation, no matter how much pleasure your presence brings me."

Chloe looked slowly around, as if only now taking in the details of her surroundings. Of course, the fact that now there _were_ details to focus on might have played a role as well.

"To be honest, this place, whatever it is, seems peaceful enough, if a little unnerving. And I very much doubt there would be much happiness involved if I knew I'd never see you again."

Lucifer couldn't help chuckling humourlessly. "Actually, Hell allows me to modify the rooms however I see fit. This is the closest approximation of the Silver City I can give you. And unnervingly peaceful is actually what I always thought the original felt like. I can't take the credit for duplicating the initial effect, tough. Depending on how much detail Amenadiel got into while describing home, this was either the room responding to your imagination or my Dad's sense of humour."

"Lucifer, listen, I don't care how it worked. What I do care about is that we are getting another chance to be together, after all those we wasted."

"I'd love that to be true, Darling, but this is just a mock-up that you are stuck in, in the middle of Hell."

"It could be worse."

"That must be a _very_ relative term for you."

"I could have ended up somewhere where I'd never have a chance to do this." She reached up and brought his head closer, her lips brushing his. He couldn't help but respond, deepening the kiss that he never thought he'd have a chance to have.

If the last kiss they shared was bittersweet, promising the heartbreak of his inevitable departure, this one was not. Hesitant at first, as if neither of them dared quite hope it could be happening, it quickly grew into a desperate passion as the fact that it was real became apparent.

When they separated, he looked her seriously in the eye.

"I want you to promise me you will tell me the moment you become unhappy. I'm sure I'll be able to get either Amenadiel or Azrael to bring you where you belong."

"Lucifer..."

"Promise me?"

"I promise," she whispered finally, having little intention of ever needing to make good on it.

She saw how the concern on his face gave way to a slowly forming grin.

"In that case, we need to think of something to make this place a bit more habitable for you. How do you feel about Malibu homes?"

III

Even though they technically met for drinks to honour Chloe's memory, Dan couldn't help but feel it started to resemble an intervention on his behalf, seeing how everyone else seemed to hold themselves together with sombre acceptance.

There was the talk about what a shame it was that she was taken from them so soon but it seemed that other than himself everyone present seemed to be holding a firm belief that Chloe moved on to a better place. He supposed he could have expected as much from Ella but he never pegged Linda as a devout believer and if possible she, along with the rest of the company seemed even more assured than the perky forensic specialist as to the existence of the afterlife and treated the whole thing with way too much serenity.

Which made him even more miserable, wishing he could muster something resembling their certainty as he was finishing another drink.

"Can you believe that even as she was bleeding out she wanted to bring up the old arguments we had before we separated?" he asked the group, having a strange feeling he was slurring his words slightly. "I mean, why would she do that? I wanted to comfort her and she was pushing me into that. It was water under the bridge but it was like she wanted me to make her feel guilty."

He noted absently that the people present stilled suddenly, with Linda looking at her boyfriend with wide eyes. Maze seemed recovered fastest, snorting.

"Go Decker. Never thought she had it in her," she announced loudly, before downing her drink.

As she spoke, Amenadiel excused himself suddenly and quickly left the bar. Linda, on the other hand, ordered another round and joined him in drinking, her previous countenance forgotten.

It probably just took her longer for the reality of Chloe's death to sink in.

III

Lucifer honestly tried not to make a habit form, as he fully expected Chloe to come to her senses soon enough and ask for his help in leaving the place. That didn't seem to be happening though and as days turned into weeks in Hell time, he found himself drawn to her, day after day, as soon as he was done with his duties.

Curiously enough, the demons, even if still terrified of the heavenly glow coming from her room, started to speak of the soul residing there with something akin to reverence, if only for dialling their King's temper down a notch. Somehow, they seemed to think he wouldn't notice. He didn't mind though, as long as it kept any of them from trying anything with her.

He was just contemplating flying down from his throne a touch earlier than usual, pushed by the persistent thought that in Earth's time they were probably organising her funeral some time now, when he heard the sound of angel wings approaching. He looked up, unfolding his own wings as he did. Quickly his eyes located the one responsible.

"Amenadiel," he greeted. "Is this a social visit or did fatherhood exhaust you to the point of actually seeking refuge here?"

"This is hardly a time to joke, Luci. She died. She is not in the Silver City, so she must have ended down here."

"You mean the Detective? Yes, she's here. Don't tell me it took you this long to figure out."

"Luci, this is serious. You can't be telling me you are fine with her being punished here. You _know_ she deserves better than that."

"And don't you think that was the first thing I tried to tell her? Come," Lucifer shot back before spreading his wings and flying the now very familiar path down.

Amenadiel followed, trying to make sense of his brother's behaviour. He knew how strongly the other angel felt for his human, which made Lucifer's blasé reaction to her damnation very confusing. He was deep enough in his thoughts that he almost missed the fact that they landed in one of the grim corridors and stepped into one of the rooms, before the shock at what was before his eyes brought him back to the present.

"The decor might be a bit out of date. I was going from memory, you know," Lucifer said dryly by his side.

They were standing in a passable copy of the Silver City, with the one exception in form of a Malibu villa standing in the middle of it. Amenadiel couldn't help but stare.

"Don't dismiss it before you get used to it. It really is much more functional than anything you have up there," his brother spoke again, and then paused. "You didn't think I would let Chloe actually _come to harm_ here, did you?"

"I suppose not," Amenadiel admitted. "I never could imagine the Silver City this _empty_ though."

"Yes, well, Hell does respond to my will but when asked to create living beings, the final result ends up being soulless creatures, eager to torture and looking like a mockery of Dad's creation. And if it came down to providing Chloe demons for company I'd honestly prefer to go with Maze, once she comes back."

"Not while Trixie might still need her. We talked about it." Amenadiel was honestly startled when he heard Chloe's familiar voice close to them. "She already lost her mother. At least that way she still has a friend to watch out for her."

"I never intended to imply anything else, Darling. I suppose it's pretty obvious by now, but you have a guest."

"I hope it's not some convoluted plot to get me to leave you," she looked at them with suspicion.

"Of course not," Lucifer assured her. "While I do hope Amenadiel would be willing to help, should you tire of my company and desire to go where you truly belong, he knows better than to bring you anywhere against your will. Dad cares too much for humans' free will for him to contemplate risking it, right?"

Framed like that Amenadiel couldn't help but confirm, making Chloe visibly relax.

III

"How is Trixie doing with me being gone?" Chloe asked as soon as they entered the parlour of the house.

Amenadiel watched her carefully, silently noting the way she settled into an armchair standing close to a gleaming Bösendorfer that was occupying the central spot of the room, with Lucifer directing his steps to the piano bench. The entire thing spoke of a routine being in place and, strange as it might sound under the circumstances, comfort of the parties involved. It almost felt as if he was intruding an intimate scene when he settled into the second armchair.

The fact that the first thoughts of a soul residing in Hell were about the wellbeing of others almost didn't register in comparison. Still, if Chloe's eyes looking at him expectantly were any indication, that was her most pressing concern.

"As well as could be expected," he answered finally. "For most part she still seems to be in denial. Linda invited Dan to bring her to talk about it a bit, which might help. Other than that, she is now moving in with her father."

"Dan doesn't really have the space to deal with living with her full time, and is he even up to it? I remember how he was when Charlotte died. And now I did, not long after."

"Yes, how terribly unaccommodating of you, to be killed _in line of duty_ with such inconvenient timing," Lucifer cut into her speech sarcastically. "I believe I already told you, I'm looking forward to _discussing_ the matter with those responsible. Because, as it happens, _you_ most decidedly are _not_."

"Which doesn't change the fact that I left Trixie, who is now being uprooted and in Dan's care when I'm not even sure how he is handing it all."

"Actually, having his daughter to look after seemed to be doing him some good," Amenadiel allowed. "I saw him just before I left to check on you. And your mother is helping him."

Chloe closed her eyes for a second. "My mum must have taken it hard too. This makes the second time her loved one is killed in action."

"None of that now, Darling," Lucifer interjected, turning to her and reaching is hand out to hold hers. "But you did make a good point about your offspring. Amenadiel, could you tell Maze to use my funds to buy the apartment she lives in and leave the spawn's room as it is? And _do_ tell her I expect her to do her part taking care of the urchin and allowing her to retain the place she is familiar with. I expect it might give Beatrice some comfort."

"I will pass on the message if you like, Luci. Don't you think though that she could draw greater comfort from knowing her mother is in better place?"

"And who is to decide what is better?" Chloe asked with the irritation of someone who had had the same argument a few times too many.

"Chloe, you must realise this isn't real. You are locked in what essentially is a golden cage. I'm glad my brother managed to do this much to protect you from what is outside, but if you remain here, you will be trapped. This is all you'd ever be able to have – a small niche of artificial comfort."

"And I suppose you are going to tell me going to Heaven would be better?"

"How could you possibly doubt it?"

"Easily. I mean, the way I see it, going there would mean I'd forever be stuck, separated from someone I love. Golden cages come in all shapes and sizes, Amenadiel. Now leave that be. Why don't you tell us about Charlie? It feels like _ages_ since I've seen him."

III

"You know, Amenadiel has a bit of a point," Chloe said finally, to break the silence after the angel in question finally returned to Earth.

"About the fact that you shouldn't be here? I've been trying to tell you just that." Lucifer carefully tried to hide the heartbreak from his voice and might have succeeded, had she known him a little less.

"Don't be ridiculous. I've told you before, as long as you're here, I'm exactly where I want to be. No, I meant about being stuck here with no idea what is outside. I can't even make conversation about how your day was without you evading, trying not to tell me the realities of Hell."

"You are _not supposed to_ see what's outside, if only for the sake of your sanity."

"If my sanity survived us working together, it can take whatever you throw at it. But seriously, what happens to those rooms when a soul leaves?"

"And there you are, Detective, saying it as if it was everyday occurrence. From what my demons told me, both Malcolm's and Abel's loops simply paused at whatever point they were, waiting for them to come back. I saw the same thing happening with Charlotte's room, which is still waiting, even if she isn't coming back here."

"So if, theoretically, I were to come with you when you leave here..."

"You'd be traumatised unnecessarily."

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

"It's just the truth."

"Don't give me that. You know I want a straight answer. What would happen to this?" She gestured around.

"In the _entirely theoretical_ situation of you leaving the one shelter protecting you from being driven insane by the horrors of Hell? The room should be waiting for your return exactly in the state you left it."

"Thank you. It's good to know."

"I should hope it's _useless_ to know as there would be no circumstances under which you'd need that particular knowledge."

"You know, Lucifer, I can't help but recall that every time things between us went sideways it started with you withholding some vital information from me in order to supposedly protect me. While I guess it might be comforting to know that some things never change no matter the circumstances, don't you think it's time we moved past that?"

"You don't know what you're asking."

"I suppose I don't. And whose fault would that be?"

"Detective..."

"Please, Lucifer."

"Chloe, trust me, I _know_ what Hell is like. It will traumatise you, as it would any other human soul."

"But I'd have you to help me work through that. And then you'd have me to talk to, whenever you wish to talk something through, without the fear of accidentally saying too much."

He looked into her eyes, searching for something – and as he did, she could tell the exact moment he made his decision, all with desperation, concern and hope battling for dominance in his expression.

"I hate the thought of subjecting you to this," he admitted in a whisper.

"You won't be subjecting me to anything. If anything, I'm volunteering for the experience, with you offering supervision to make sure nothing too horrible happens."

He laughed humourlessly. "'Nothing too' is hardly an apt descriptor for _anything_ you could find out there. I keep telling you, Hell is not a pleasant place."

"I figured as much. Well, maybe you could show me then?"

He led her to a grey, heavy door that spoiled the otherwise bright and light decor of her personal safe haven. Then he hesitated again.

"Won't you reconsider, Chloe?"

"I want to – no, I _need to_ see. Hey, at worst I'll simply have a new appreciation for this place."

"I wish I could put that down as the worst case scenario, Darling, but it simply wouldn't be the truth."

"I trust you not to let anything happen," she said emphatically and he pulled her closer to himself before pushing the door open.

The first thing that hit Chloe was the air: impossibly hot, dry, smelling of smoke and pollution, as if she were standing too close to an industrial furnace. It was hard to breathe, but she did her best to force herself to. Surprisingly enough, there didn't seem to be any fire; as a matter of fact, even though everything was visible enough, she could not locate any discernible source of the bluish light permeating the place. Something was raining down in flakes, which upon closer inspection, as they stepped outside, she identified as ash.

III

Lucifer couldn't look away from the small form of the Detective stepping outside the door. She looked more vulnerable than ever and his heart tightened painfully at the very thought of what he was subjecting her to. But despite all his warnings she seemed determined to do this and as usual, he found himself incapable of denying her anything.

So focused he was on her that he almost missed the reaction of the demons standing nearby.

He was aware, of course, of the way the demons built Chloe up to be some powerful, mysterious, perfect creature, capable of exacting her influence even over himself. He never discouraged those beliefs – that worship could only help her if it ever came to interacting with any demon and as far as he was concerned, power or no power, they weren't _that_ far off anyway. Not to mention, he couldn't deny some amusement at the thought of that veneration being directed at Chloe when his demons seemed wholly unimpressed by his Mum whilst she had been there.

It wasn't until he heard a voice in Lilim next to them, making a crude comment of surprise at her _terrible plainness_ that he saw a downside of that approach. Having already been feeling protective of her, he turned, searching for the culprit with a fiery gaze, when she spoke next to him.

"You know, if someone wants to comment on someone else's looks, they should really take a glance at themselves first."

Lucifer stilled. Did she just–

The demon, realising his error as soon as he saw Lucifer's reaction, took advantage of his Lord's momentary distraction and fled. Chloe, in the meantime, smirked, looking pleased with herself. Finally, Lucifer overcame his surprise enough to speak.

"Detective? How did you...?"

"Oh yeah, _that_. Back home we had a talk about the house rules, including not saying any words Trixie could get in trouble for repeating at school. Want to take three guesses what Maze's solution was?"

"So you learned Lilim?"

"Learned is a bit generous. I know some words but I probably wouldn't keep up if they kept the conversation PG-rated. The whole point was being able to get away with questionable language around Trixie."

Distracted as he was by the imagery of Beatrice Espinoza cursing at her school peers in the language of demons, he was a moment late realising the Detective's mood had shifted.

III

Chloe smiled at him as she spoke but she couldn't help but feel her mood falling apart a moment later. Recalling those light-hearted memories made the realisation that those times were now gone forever all the more painful. She was _never_ going to see her daughter again. She knew that, of course. but now it was gaining new clarity.

As she looked around, the foreboding grey walls seemed to be closing in on her. The corridors were stretching in all directions far beyond the reach of her vision. Taking in each breath was becoming harder, the air burning her lungs. _This_ was all that there was left. Forever. Humans weren't made to deal with absolutes and yet she had to somehow internalise the fact that she was facing this for an eternity. In comparison, any finite human life seemed short and her own had been cut shorter still...

She suddenly realised she was trembling, bent slightly, with Lucifer's hand on her back.

"I will never see Trixie grow up. Never see her fall in love and get married. All those times I promised I would always be there for her–" Tears were rolling down her cheeks, she realised, and Lucifer shifted, pulling her into embrace.

"None of that now, Detective. It's this place you know, always focuses the mind on the darkest of thoughts. Listen to me. You had a dangerous job. Your daughter knew that, she has always been more perceptive than reasonable. And she was also very proud of what you did. In fact, the very first time we spoke, she couldn't help but boast about your profession."

"Doesn't make leaving her any less hard."

"Should you decide to leave for the Silver City, you'll be able to see her again." He reminded her quietly.

She shook her head.

"It's the present moments that I'm missing, you know."

"I do know. I wish I could give you that life back, but I can't. I can only assure you that between Linda, Ella and Maze, even without you there, Beatrice will have someone to offer her sound advice, help find optimism and protect her. And if Amenadiel thinks he can get away with not giving us some updates about her, he has another thing coming."

She couldn't help a short laugh escaping her.

"Thank you for that, Lucifer. I guess I needed to hear it."

"Anytime. I was about to warn you, Hell actively discourages optimism. If you allow it, it will drag you into a downwards spiral of despair. Which is exactly why we should focus on something else. Did you have anything specific in mind when you wanted to go out here? Perhaps seeing if your ex managed to patch things up with his brother? Slapping Malcolm for all the trouble he caused you? Maybe meeting some historical figures? Ivan the Terrible is always fun. A few times I found him in a bragging contest with my demons regarding torture techniques."

Despite herself, she shook her head in amusement. "So he is your first thought? Not, say, Hitler?"

"What is it that has you so interested in him? Linda was curious as well. Honestly, his loop wasn't all that interesting, last time I checked. Just a struggling artist, laughed at when he tried to speak publically, who is going to starve unless he asks a shop owner, Isaac Rosenbaum, to take pity and buy one of his paintings. As far as Hell loops go, it's as interesting as watching paint dry."

Chloe snorted, her previous mood slowly forgotten.

"But you still checked."

"I'm sure I've already mentioned a time or two how overwhelmingly _boring_ this place gets after a while. Any distraction is welcome and given Linda's interest I was hoping for at least something like him finding himself starkers at the opening of the Berlin Olympics."

"I'm surprised you didn't switch it to something like this then."

"It was effective enough so there wasn't a point. Especially if the purpose would have been my amusement not increasing the effectiveness of the punishment. I rarely get personally involved in the loops anyway. The demons take care of most of it and I just need to keep them in line and make sure everything goes smoothly. Which was how, if the demons didn't notice me leaving, I could get away with visiting the mortal world from time to time. But I think we can agree that the events towards the end of my last stay showed how flawed such approach had been."

"Everything seemed to be working reasonably well until I brought a certain nutcase fanatic into your life." Chloe looked down in shame, as she felt the guilt hit her like a tidal wave.

"Now, none of that, Darling, I told you. That Kinley managed to get anywhere with the demons only proves my own negligence. Speaking of, if you don't want to let Malcolm know what you think of him, maybe you'd be interested in making Kinley pay? Just seeing us together here should be enough to drive the point across."

"If I never see him again it will still be too soon. Let him rot," she shrugged. "And when it comes to Malcolm, if you want to add to his misery just make him write reports from all his loops here. I _know _you've seen enough of the police work to be aware of the joy of writing those."

She saw Lucifer looking at her with impressed look on his face.

"I can see now how you managed to get on so well with Maze," he said finally. "Have you decided what you would like to do while here though? It's really not a good idea for you to be sitting idly here in the open. Maybe you'd simply like to see the scenic views?"

A few moments later, for the first time in the history of creation, it wasn't an angel that sat on the throne of Hell but a human soul, with the rightful owner hovering nearby.

Chloe looked cautiously at the endless lines of colourless corridors, creating dark mazes that stretched to the horizon. Up here, when she closed her eyes for a second, she could hear something that resembled faraway cries, pleading and screams, echoing in the air of a suffocating quality. She could only imagine Lucifer having to sit here, alone, with the perspective of nothing other than more of _this_ for eternity. The thought was almost physically painful. She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Chloe? Perhaps we should call it a day and return?" He asked gently next to her and she nodded.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold of her room, she couldn't help but feel something change, as if a headache she never realised she had suddenly disappeared.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer through it," he told her, breaking the silence.

"Suffer isn't quite the world I'd use. Sure, it was hardly a day at the spa but it wasn't as bad as you seem to believe it was."

"I should have never–"

"No," she interrupted him. "You should have. That's my point: it's not particularly pleasant and it's a touch depressing, I'll give you that, but that's all it is. Granted, I get why even ruling the place you needed a time away from it, but if some gloomy thoughts are all I'm risking, you really don't need to protect me to this extent. And don't think I didn't notice you doing your best to distract me the whole time we were out there."

"I won't deny it. If distracting you is what it takes to keep you from falling into despair, that is what I'm prepared to do."

She looked at him carefully for a second.

"Don't get me wrong, Lucifer. I'm grateful for what you were trying to do. However, you need to remember something. I lost my father tragically just as I was entering adulthood. I've seen countless murders, with victims sometimes being minors. I've spent a long time ostracised by my colleagues. If I didn't learn how to get out of depressing thoughts, I'd have ended up in a room with padded walls."

"This is different."

"Is it? I do get that Hell brings out such thoughts. I experienced it up close and personal. Honestly, as long as I don't overdo it, I'll be fine. I'm not saying I'm volunteering to patrol the corridors, but if you ever feel you could use some company out there, I'll be there for you. And you don't have to censor yourself about what you deal with outside."

Lucifer spent a long time simply staring at her. Then he reached out and caressed her cheek.

"I don't deserve you, Detective," he said, almost reverently.

Chloe stepped closer.

"I'll be the judge of that," she stated before embracing him. After a momentary surprise, he responded, gently lifting her chin and capturing her lips, his previous concerns set aside.

III

Much later, as they were sitting together on the piano bench, Chloe looked at Lucifer as his hands paused on the keys, the flow of the melody he was playing absently stopping and the last notes still reverberating throughout the room.

"Lucifer?"

"All I ever hoped to do was to protect your world from interference from mine. Witnessing you in Hell is honestly the worst nightmare I could have contemplated. I know you are trying, for my sake no doubt–"

"Hey, since when was I putting up an act for you?" Chloe interrupted him; but even as she spoke, she realised that this time she had to face her own fears and give him the whole truth.

She took in a deep breath.

"The problem is, there never _were_ two separate worlds. As hard as it still is to wrap my mind around it, you must have known from the beginning that whatever I did in life, no matter how important to me at the time, was nothing but a brief interlude. In that context, I can only admire the bravery it must have taken for you to build _any_ relations with humans at all. And I know that despite doing my best I probably can't grasp the concept of eternity as well as you do. But it doesn't change the fact that I had to face it eventually, and losing you was definitely _not _something that I wanted as a part of forever, whatever else came with the package. So alright, Hell itself might be depressing, There are those I cared about that I won't ever see. But I prefer to be here with you all the same."

"You might think that now, but once this place chips at your resolve–"

"Oh, just give it up. I've seen it. It's not a walk in the park, but it's not so bad. I think it helps when one stops dwelling on things too much. So we'll just have to agree to live in the moment whenever I step outside and I should be fine."

"But you deserve happiness. You deserve so much better than this."

"I'm happy with you. Everything else is just window dressing. And I love you so it's worth it."

"You know I love you as well."

She rested her head on his arm, while his hands travelled up her back almost unbidden.

"I do," she confirmed.

III

As hard as it might have been for Lucifer to admit it, in the years Chloe had been there, the bizarre slice of Heaven in the middle of Hell started feeling like both home and a safe haven for him. Despite that, no matter how much she assured him she didn't mind, he couldn't help but feel responsible for her being trapped here. What human would _not_ mind being trapped in Hell? It was a wonder he hadn't gotten trapped in any loops with the guilt he was feeling about it.

Still, he kept telling himself that at the very least she was safe where she was and she would tell him if she wished to leave. Which was precisely why he felt cold fear gripping him when, upon approaching her room, he saw the door open.

He landed quickly, dashing into the room only to see it perfectly still, signifying its occupant was no longer there. Running outside, he still had her name on his lips, when he heard her familiar voice just around the corner.

"-couldn't help but thinking they would!" Chloe finished some out of context sentence to the sound of laughter of two of his demons.

Lucifer rounded the corner just as one of the demons – a lesser one, Arggdon if he wasn't mistaken – was opening his mouth to respond.

"We – my Lord!" The other two demons turned and the trio instantly bowed before him.

He nodded dismissively, struggling to rein in his own fear for Chloe, which lessened slightly when he was standing by her side.

Sensing their presence was not welcome, the three made themselves scarce. Only then did he allow concern to colour his voice.

"Chloe, are you all right? What happened? Why are you here?"

She looked up at him, clearly surprised. "Why wouldn't I be? Nothing happened, really."

"And nothing happening somehow forced you to venture out to Hell? Alone?" He was marginally calmer now that she seemed to be unharmed, but he still couldn't shake off the feeling that was brought out by the sight of her door being open. They began walking back to her room.

"Nothing _forced me_. It's not like I didn't know what was outside. It was about the time you would normally come and you were running late so I was wondering if something kept you and wandered towards the door. When I opened it, I heard those three discussing what to do with some child abuser. The leading idea seemed to be to put him in a position where he is the smaller and weaker one. Arggdon had doubts but Gorchab and Shr't disagreed."

"And you just decided to join the discussion between demons?" Lucifer didn't know if he was more astonished or horrified.

"You know, I _do_ still remember what was happening shortly before you had to come back here. I know better than to let my guard down around them. But I recognised two names from our previous conversations and Maze mentioned Arggdon sometimes when we talked. Seemed to think that he was a bit too timid for a demon." Chloe looked Lucifer in the eye. "I wasn't going in blind. And he was right that abusers often had previously been abused so it would simply strengthen their views. At the very least it might be better to put them in a situation where they don't know if the victim won't turn them into prey."

Now that they were back in her peaceful room, Lucifer allowed himself to accept that things might not have been as bad as he initially supposed. He was only thankful that with her previous fame among demons and with her being _very_ occasionally sighted by his side she somehow acquired the status of the de facto Queen of Hell so no demons should dare to go against her.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"You are saying you simply went to the door and opened it?"

"Why wouldn't I? They are there for a purpose."

He couldn't help but blink at that.

"Most humans don't find it quite _that_ easy. In fact, I believe you are the first one to even find the door."

It was her turn to be surprised.

"Find it? It was always there, no searching required."

"Didn't you wonder how exactly people stay trapped in their rooms?"

She shrugged looking at him with mild curiosity.

"You said their guilt keeps them there."

"It does. But it also makes it impossible for them to find the door." To his surprise, Chloe smiled at that.

"Well, there you have it. What brought me here was the fact that I love you. And I don't feel guilty about it one bit."

Lucifer couldn't help but stare at her in wonder for a second before stepping closer and embracing her.

"The feeling is entirely mutual," he stated. Then he drew back. "Just promise me you'll be more careful about spontaneously deciding to socialise with the demons."

"If you insist. I _did_ tell Arggdon he can drop by from time to time if he wants to bounce some ideas off someone. At least I'll have something to do when you're busy. We'll probably need to talk over the threshold though. This place still freaks the demons out."

"Good. Healthy dose of respect never hurt anyone."

Lucifer sighed. Of course his first instinct was to protect Chloe from everything. But if this would make her happy...

III

"I brought some pictures for you from the high school graduation ceremony," Amenadiel said in lieu of greeting.

Over the years, him bringing news and pictures of Trixie and their friends became something of a routine. He was still sometimes wondering how it happened but regular visits to Hell now seemed a permanent fixture in his plans.

"Already?" Chloe reached for the photos. "Last time we spoke Trixie was still trying to decide on a college."

"She went with veterinary studies at Carrington in the end."

"I thought she might," she nodded, looking at the picture of Trixie with Dan and Ella in the background. It was startling at times not only how much Trixie had grown but how much people changed from the way she remembered them. "From what you said she's been leaning in that direction for some time now."

"And there goes the proud Decker law enforcement tradition," Lucifer teased, taking the pictures from her to take a look himself.

"I think with the way the tradition turned out for the last two generations you won't see anyone crying after it," she observed. Then she gestured to the photos. "I hope you realise we are keeping those?"

"I expected as much. These are your copies."

III

Lucifer was decidedly unamused by the item his brother had handed him as soon as he arrived, before they had even had a chance to fly down to Chloe.

"I assume it is some kind of joke on your part?" Lucifer pinned his brother down with his sight.

"I'm serious, Luci. I wouldn't make a joke about something like that. She asked me to deliver this to you on the understanding that I would know how to reach you."

"And you thought that instead of telling her that my duties don't allow me to leave, you would bring the invitation here to what? Mock me? Mock _Chloe_?"

"Honestly? I thought you'd think it was a nice gesture that she remembered about you after all that time and that it might serve as updating you on what's going on in her life."

"Not that your updates were all that frequent of late. Last time all you mentioned was that Beatrice met someone and now you're bringing me her wedding invitation?"

"I honestly thought the last few months they were just casually dating. And it's Charlie's first year of junior high. Linda insisted we work on the father-son relationship to protect him from the negative experiences a new environment could bring."

Lucifer stood from his throne and unfurled his wings.

"Because coming down here would cost you just _so much _time, wouldn't it?" He stated sarcastically. "You are explaining that to Chloe."

Thankfully the years of demons' reverence, with Amenadiel knowing about it but being none the wiser about the reason for it, had the desired effect of making the angel go pale. Lucifer smirked.

III

Lucifer couldn't help but wonder if asking Amenadiel for the updates about the Detective's spawn hadn't been a mistake on his part. Granted, for a while it seemed to bring Chloe some peace and softened the realisation that she was forever separated from those she cared about. Still, it also prevented her from severing the ties completely, which, at a time like this, proved a terrible burden.

He honestly thought, when Amenadiel brought them the news about Beatrice intending to marry, that Chloe would simply be slightly annoyed at his brother for not giving them some updates sooner or providing more details about her daughter's apparent fiancé. After all, while she was always eager to hear the news, she received them with curiosity but without any emotional outbursts. She would even often joke at one bit of information or another.

Instead, as soon as she saw the invitation her face went completely blank. She dryly thanked Amenadiel for the news, set the invitation down and proceeded to sit down, staring into space until he left, not seeming to hear a word of what was spoken around her.

It was only then that Lucifer was reminded of her very first time stepping outside her room and her subsequent breakdown as the ambient Hell energy got to her. That was what she mourned then. _Never seeing her daughter fall in love and get married._

He regretted allowing Amenadiel even come with the news at this point.

The invitation still stood on the piano, on full display for anyone who hadn't yet had the sight of it seared into their mind. Which currently excluded everyone staying in the room.

Normally Lucifer wouldn't mind, if it wasn't for the clear pain in Chloe's eyes every time she looked at the thing. It was as if the despair from the outside found a way of bleeding into the room. He would have hidden the offending object if it wasn't for the fear the action would actually make things worse.

It wasn't that the Detective wasn't happy for her daughter. In fact, the girl finding love was one of her dearest wishes. But all the same it awoke the pain, dulled over the years, of missing all the important moments of her life.

His fingers danced across the keyboard, summoning a melody even when his heart wasn't really in it, as he kept glancing at the woman he loved.

Unfortunately, he had no real way of soothing her pain other than trying to offer some distraction which wouldn't last long with the thing so blatantly before their eyes. But other than that...

He paused, the melody ending abruptly, drawing her attention.

"Lucifer?" she asked, focusing on him. "Is everything alright?"

"Perfectly, Darling, I assure you. I was simply reminded of something I needed to do. I'm afraid I'll need to leave you for a while."

"It's fine. I probably wouldn't be very good company anyway today. I was just reminiscing a bit."

Honestly, this wasn't particularly reassuring information.

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can," he assured her, getting up to leave.

Now he just had a bit of a selection to do.

III

The fact that when he returned to her room it seemed she was sitting exactly where she had when he left was probably a bad sign. All the more reason, he told himself, why what he was planning was actually a good idea.

"Chloe?" He asked to draw her attention. She looked up. "Would you mind coming with me for a bit?"

She shrugged and stood up.

"Sure, I guess. Where are we going?" She asked as they were stepping over the threshold, into Hell's corridor.

"It's a surprise," He informed her, unfolding his wings, picking her up and taking off.

She gasped in surprise at the sudden action. Then everything blurred around her.

III

Chloe opened her eyes, feeling strange. All sensations seemed dulled somehow, as if coming from afar. She looked around, not recognising her surroundings. She seemed to be in a room of some sort, possibly some living space, if not very inviting due to the old wallpaper peeling off the wall and the couch baring burned cigarette marks.

In vain, she tried to make some sense of it all. Suddenly another thought occurred to her. Why was she on the floor?

It took her two attempts to sit up, clumsily, feeling as if she was moving through water in several layers of clothing. Her ears were ringing a bit and it occurred to her that she honestly couldn't remember the last time she had a headache but she seemed to be developing one now.

Finally, her eyes found Lucifer, his wings still visible, standing in the corner of the room. Somehow he seemed more _real_ than anything else around, making the place even more grey and dull in comparison.

"Lucifer?" she asked confusedly and was startled when she didn't recognise her own voice. "What happened? What is this place?"

"This in particular? An apartment in the _less_ fashionable part of LA."

She was sure she misheard. "LA? As in Los Angeles? The _real_ one?"

"Of course it's the real one. No substitutes out there."

"But how?"

"I brought us here, how else?" He grinned.

"But I'm dead." She felt someone should remind him of that.

"So is Katie, who OD'ed a couple of minutes ago, Earth time, but she assured me she didn't mind someone using her body for a bit, especially since it might be her last chance to score a good deed."

It was slowly downing on her what must have happened.

"Are you telling me I'm currently possessing some girl's dead body?"

"_Borrowing_ and it's not like she had any use of it anymore. Besides, at this point it was more of a clinical death than anything else," he said nonchalantly, helping her up, either unaware or ignoring her disbelieving stare.

"Isn't it against some rules?" she finally managed to ask.

"Compared to some things I did, this is pretty minor. Besides, what's Dad going to do? Damn me to Hell?"

Spotting a mirror on one of the walls, Chloe slowly made her way to it, still supported by Lucifer. She was still feeling strange, as if she was wearing hazmat suit, serving as a barrier between herself and the world around her but she was slowly getting used to the feeling.

Looking in the mirror was a bit of a shock. A stranger was staring back at her. Whoever Katie was, she was a slender, rather pretty twenty-something who – judging by the tan – spent a lot of time in the sun. The circles under her eyes, on the other hand, could indicate the girl was not taking very good care of herself. Overdosing on the floor of an apartment was probably an even better indicator of that.

"Don't worry, we still have a few days to make you presentable," Lucifer spoke at her side.

"What?" Chloe tore her eyes from the reflection, looking at him.

"Your spawn's wedding is still a fortnight away. We have plenty of time to make you look your, well _Katie's_ best."

Suddenly the enormity of what was happening hit her in full force. Before she could think, she found herself hugging Lucifer.

"Thank you," she said emphatically.

"Anything for you, Darling."

III

The whole affair was a touch bittersweet, as far as Dan was concerned. On the one hand, he could see Trixie was very much in love and deliriously happy, on the other though, he couldn't just shake off the feeling that it was all happening too fast.

_His little girl getting married_? It felt as if she had only just finished primary school. How did she grow up so quickly?

He cleared his throat, hoping to sound more or less normal as he looked proudly at his daughter, correcting some insignificant fold on her sparkling, white dress.

"You look wonderful, Sweetheart. I wish your mom could see you now." He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, she can, I assure you," someone drawled nearby in a British accent.

Dan stilled momentarily at hearing the voice of the man he honestly believed he would never see again. He turned slowly and sure enough, there stood Lucifer Morningstar, dressed impeccably as always, with some supermodel on his arm who was probably barely older than Trixie herself. As hard as it was to admit it, the pair's age difference wasn't easily visible though because the man didn't look like he had aged a _day_ since Dan last saw him – which definitely qualified as some cosmic injustice.

"Lucifer!" Trixie grinned at the sight of the man and stepped closer to give him a hug. He visibly stiffened.

"Yes, hello, Beatrice. I see you haven't quite outgrown this type of greeting, no matter what assurances your mother gave me on the subject."

She released him, smiling brightly.

"Thank you for coming! I was hoping you would but your brother seemed a bit sceptical about it."

"It's true that my duties don't allow me to leave under the normal circumstances, but how could I possibly refuse this time?"

"I never pegged you for a fan of weddings," Dan responded to that. "Or marriage as an institution, really."

"Ah, but just because I'm a believer in personal freedom doesn't mean that when your offspring did decide to bind herself to someone I don't appreciate the chance to tell her future husband just what awaits him in Hell if he doesn't treat her as she deserves."

Dan rolled his eyes. "You know, I've almost forgotten how annoying this playacting of yours could be. And aren't you going to introduce us?"

The woman at Lucifer's side seemed to realise he was looking at her. She tore her eyes from Trixie who was still standing there, a vision in her white gown, grinning at the people present. He noticed with some surprise that the woman's eyes were a bit glassy. Of course he heard that some people were inclined to cry at weddings, even those of strangers but he always assumed there was a bit of an exaggeration in that. Well, either that or it was the allergic reaction to all the different perfumes in the air.

The woman cleared her throat and took a deep breath before schooling her features into a polite smile.

"Hi, I'm Katie." She spoke with a distinctively American accent, meaning, seeing how Lucifer left to take care of some things back at home, that there was a good chance his current date was simply someone he picked up after arriving back in the US. Just perfect.

Suddenly he realised the woman was standing there with her hand outstretched. Quickly, he shook it in hopes of avoiding a faux pas.

"Daniel Espinoza, father of the bride, nice to meet you."

Unfortunately, it seemed his little social blunder didn't go quite unnoticed as Lucifer looked at the whole scene with open amusement. Still, Dan was determined not to let anything ruin the day so he simply schooled his features into a smile, ignoring the other man's reaction.

"Why don't you go on inside? I'm sure we'll have time to catch up at the reception."

III

As soon as they stepped into the chapel, they noticed Maze, leaning on a pillar, talking with some girl they didn't know. Oddly enough, both were wearing frilly orange dresses.

Chloe couldn't help but stare.

Possibly feeling the eyes on her, the demon looked up and saw them. As soon as she did, she left the conversation without so much as excusing herself and strode to them.

When she reached them, she locked eyes with Chloe for a second as if to confirm something. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she smiled.

"Decker, Lucifer, I didn't know you were coming."

"I didn't think it was a good idea to advertise the fact beforehand," Lucifer drawled with a smirk. "How lovely to see you, Maze. That's quite an interesting ensemble you're trying to pull off."

Maze rolled her eyes, looking at Chloe.

"Speaking of, Decker. I blame that entirely on you. If you didn't get yourself killed, _Penelope_ wouldn't be the one advising Trix about the wedding. Especially about things like having it in a _church_ and forcing those monstrosities on the bridesmaids." She tugged on the rim of the dress.

"So you're a bridesmaid? Glad to hear the two of you are still close. Are you sure it's not your influence? I can't imagine anyone designing such a dress for a purpose other than making the wearer suffer." Chloe smirked, amazed at how easy it was to fall back into a banter routine with her friend. "What colour is that supposed to be anyway?"

"Shrimp, apparently. And it _did_ give me a few ideas for when I go back home, now that you mention it. Speaking of, how are things down there?"

"Boring, as you'd expect." Lucifer decided to join the conversation. "I imagine the Detective is beginning to see that as well. She took on a little project of making _Arggdon_ stand up for himself."

Maze snorted. "Seriously? Well, at least that's a task to occupy you for a couple of millennia if I ever saw one."

"Hey, he's not that hopeless."

"_Sure_ he isn't. I just _have_ to see that." Maze rolled her eyes.

"You're thinking of coming back then?"

"Maybe not just yet. That thing we have with Eve is on again at the moment and I thought I might stick around until she's heading down as well. Besides, someone needs to make sure _Rick_ behaves himself." She shot a dark glare at the groom who was currently fidgeting at the altar. It was perhaps a good thing that he didn't notice it because usually recipients of it required a wardrobe change.

"Good, do that," Chloe agreed happily, her attention finally drawn to the man her daughter was intending to marry. He wasn't bad looking, at least at the first glance. Tall, with broad shoulders and blondish hair, just long enough to curl slightly. "What are your thoughts about him?"

"A total doormat if you ask me. Completely vanilla. Can hold his liquor decently though."

"Wow, that's really helpful," Chloe said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"It really is. Her previous boyfriend was a total lightweight. One office party and she needed to call me to help her drag him back home. Come to think of it, that was the end of the relationship. So yeah, this one is better. A snore fest in the sack but I suppose they have at least common work interests for pillow talk."

Chloe took a deep breath, reminding herself that discussing the bride's sex life _with her mother, _while in a chapel just before the wedding was probably exactly what she should have expected from Maze.

"He's a vet too, then?"

"Paramedic, thankfully. Can you imagine how boring he would be otherwise?"

"Speaking of boring, I don't think I had a chance to _thank you_ for advising Trixie to take a job in a wildlife sanctuary instead of going for some nice, _safe_ job with pet cats, dogs and rabbits."

"Had to protect her from making such mistake." Maze rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Decker, no matter what you think, she _does_ take after you - she'd be bored with such a job in a week. And besides, _I_ taught her how to defend herself. In a pinch she could probably take down a bear."

"Was that supposed to be _reassuring_?"

"Don't sweat it. As far as I know, the only time she actually needed those skills was when a couple of guys got a bit too frisky in a club. And then she called Dan so _they_ were charged with assault after they left the hospital." The demon smiled fondly at the memory.

"I don't believe Amenadiel mentioned anything like that when giving us the updates."

Maze shrugged. "It's not like Trix bragged about it to everyone. Speaking of Daddy's boy, though–" she nodded at the direction of the entrance, where the angel in question appeared, followed by Linda and a teenager who could only be Charlie.

As soon as Amenadiel saw them, a look of surprise appeared on his face and he sped up, separating from his family, reaching them quickly. He looked briefly Chloe in the eye, making her wonder if there actually was something in the saying how eyes were the windows to the soul or if he was simply searching for a look of recognition. His expression of shock deepened.

"Brother, what have you done?" He turned to Lucifer immediately, sounding horrified.

"I would think it's rather obvious at this point. Do try not to make a scene, hmm?"

"You _can't_ bring souls back from Hell. Father…" Amenadiel lowered his voice.

"– has never been particularly reasonable, as far as I'm concerned," Lucifer cut in. "And this lecture is a bit rich, coming from you. Chloe simply wanted to be here for this. She's with me and the absolute _worst_ thing she might do is _jaywalk_, which can hardly hold a candle to the time _you_ decided to bring someone back."

"It only proves that –"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

"If you _dare_ to make this comparison you'll be responsible for spoiling this rather lovely ceremony by getting punched in the face. Just _think_ of what you were about to say and mind the present company."

Amenadiel paused at that, as if only now fully internalising the entire situation. To his credit, he did seem bit chastised. He looked at Chloe again.

"I'm sorry about this, Chloe. It's simply that some things should never be done, no matter the circumstances."

"I think the punching option might be still on the table," Maze offered helpfully, addressing her, before turning to Amenadiel. "Just pretend you're here to make sure this doesn't get out of hand and you won't have to worry so much."

Lucifer simply rolled his eyes, pulling Chloe closer to himself.

"See, Darling, this is exactly why it's better not to give anyone notice beforehand. The sad thing is, _he _is one of my more reasonable siblings." He looked up to see the approaching pair. "Linda! How lovely to see you. You're more beautiful every day. And I don't suppose my nephew remembers me or his Aunt Chloe, does he?"

The boy looked vaguely confused.

"It probably doesn't help that the last time he saw either of us it was under the age of forming permanent memories and I was looking differently," Chloe supplied dryly.

"Ah, yes, that might be a factor as well," He agreed cheerfully, as Linda was staring at them with wide eyes.

"Chloe?" She finally asked hesitantly.

"Hi, Linda," the other woman managed to say before being enveloped in a hug.

"I didn't even know it was _possible_. I mean, you'd think that with what my life looks like it would occur to me but I never expected –"

"Well, judging by the discussion from a moment ago _that I really hope no one overheard_," Chloe mock-glared at both angels present, "this is not something that is supposed to happen. But I'm not complaining and I don't know if you recall, but Lucifer is not exactly a fan of rules."

Linda snorted at that. "That part is a bit hard to forget. But for now, we should probably find some sitting places before the ceremony starts. And Maze, shouldn't the bridesmaids be taking places at this point?"

"Whatever." The demon shrugged, but went off in search for the other woman in the horrible dress.

III

They say your wedding day is usually absolute madness. In a way, Trixie supposed, there was something to it, if one judged by the reactions of her family. Personally, she felt they were making too big a deal out of it, especially given that she had moved in together with Rick over a month ago already.

Aunt Linda would probably say it was because her parents' divorce prevented her from perceiving the institution of marriage as something more permanent than a steady relationship with no paperwork attached.

Still, there was something to be said about the atmosphere of the day catching up to you. In her case, it was probably when she looked in the mirror and saw herself in a sparkling white dress with heavily silver-embroidered bodice and a veil attached with a tiara (_'Thanks so much for _that_, grandma'_). Somehow it felt that _maybe_ this whole affair was about something more than providing their families an excuse to celebrate.

Of course, Rick actually seemed to believe there _was_ some invisible bond that was created by the marriage vows and she wasn't about to disabuse him of the notion, but her own approach to the less than rational side of life was a bit more practical.

Then again, what else could be expected with her upbringing? It was painfully obvious that at least two people she knew didn't age. Not that it was visible on day-to-day basis but one tends to take notice when your friend who was an adult when you were in primary school, who sometimes served as your babysitter, eventually became a friend who looked your age that you went clubbing with. Plus, the ability to apply convincing 3D movie-grade make-up in under five seconds that she had witnessed was getting less explicable as years went on.

Not to mention the fact that when at sixteen she was finally old enough to be a babysitter herself, she witnessed baby Charlie moving faster than he should be able to and lifting things that would give an adult man a pause, followed by a hushed conversation in the next room of '_It could be worse - at least she's practically family. Face it, she's probably the closest thing to a step-nice you are going to have._' that she would never admit to eavesdropping on.

All in all, she knew better than to take everything in the world at the face value, but it was perhaps exactly because of this that she found the traditional approach to the spirituality a bit strange. Not to mention naïve.

And then of course there were the memories of her mum looking at some footage from a CCTV, explaining how she wanted to figure out how Lucifer did things that defied explanation. She also never forgot Lucifer openly admitting to who and what he was while still becoming close with her mom.

It was perhaps those memories that gave her the idea of trying to invite him to her wedding. When she asked Maze about her thoughts on the subject, the woman encouraged her wholeheartedly, all while treating this as some excellent joke.

She had to admit though, she never realised how much she missed the man until she saw him again. It might have been odd, given how long it's been since she saw him, but somehow not only did seeing him remind him how fond she was of him, but his presence has also awoken the feeling that if he was there, her mother couldn't be far away as well.

Of course, it was probably simply because in her formative years she grew accustomed to associating him with her mother's closest circle of friends. That would be a completely rational explanation. Then again, she knew not everything always was as strictly rational as it seemed. And the look that crossed the face of Lucifer's plus one as soon as she saw her did bear some familiarity. Plus, she was doing that thing, playing with the hem of her dress, that Trixie's mother did when she was getting emotional…

Of course, she had no proof. It might have all been a coincidence. Still, somehow, it made Trixie feel better and made the day even more special for her. So sue her if she thought the rational approach was overrated.

She grinned and looped her arm with her dad's as they started walking down the aisle.

III

The reception was in full swing as Chloe was doing her best to catch up with Linda who, accustomed as she was to all the angel weirdness in her life, didn't need much time to accept the idea of her friend leaving the afterlife to attend her daughter's wedding.

Then the former detective looked up, still deep into discussion of a certain half-angel still being undecided when it came to college and saw Lucifer chatting with some young couple, his charm definitely on. He looked carefree, Chloe suddenly realised. In Hell, even on his best days, there was always some lingering tension, brought in by the weight of the responsibility the place represented. That was gone now, the place sufficiently far away for the distraction of the party being just enough to forget about it, if only for a second. No wonder he felt the need to escape to Earth from time to time.

Chloe turned back to Linda, discreetly indicating the scene and grinning.

"I think I need to intervene before _someone_ turns the reception into an orgy."

"Good luck with that," the woman patted her on the arm. "I still find it bizarre Lucifer maintained a steady relationship for nearly two decades without driving you crazy in the process."

"Didn't I mention? Time actually runs slower down there." Chloe threw over her shoulder with a smile before approaching the group.

As soon as he saw her, Lucifer smiled widely, gesturing her to come closer.

"There you are, Detective. Would you be interested in a foursome? Mick and Suzie here are willing if you are."

"_Mick and Suzie?_" she raised an eyebrow. The couple smiled at her.

"College friends of Beatrice's," Lucifer supplied easily.

"I'm not having sex with Trixie's friends," she hissed, lowering her voice. "That would be unspeakably weird."

"They _are_ over the age of consent, you know. And they are friends from college so it's not like you knew them _before._"

"Not happening," she stated firmly.

"Well, if you're sure." He turned to the couple, giving them a brilliant smile. "Sorry, it seems we need to have a raincheck on that. Now, if you'd excuse me, I believe I've been neglecting my partner who is overdue for a dance."

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"You seem to be having fun," Chloe observed, meeting his eyes.

"I hope you are as well. Though I do wish your offspring would allow Maze greater influence over planning. It would be bound to liven things up a bit."

"You are saying that because you didn't see my bachelorette party. Prim and proper to the extreme."

"I have a hard time associating that with Maze, outside perhaps some twisted hell loop."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was where she got her inspiration. But that wasn't what I was talking about. Being able to come to Earth seems to agree with you, Lucifer."

"Perhaps. But you know that no matter what I previously thought on the matter, I can't leave my duties like that."

"Perhaps if you stuck to shorter trips you could get away with it?"

"Be it as it may, it would not be easy. Besides, I would never leave you down there alone."

"If it were for a short time, every decade or two–"

"Not even then."

"It might do you good, you know. And it's not like I'd be all alone once Maze comes back."

"Well, if you're being so insistent about it, I have a better idea. You seem to be taking borrowing this body reasonably well," he mused, pulling her closer and leaning to her ear. "If I agree, would you be willing to come with me?"

"I'm still pretty sure it's against some rules."

"In that case, we'll go straight to Hell afterwards."

She laughed.

"You know I will go with you if you ask, right?" she said finally.

"It's a deal then," he grinned at her, twirling her in dance before pulling her closer again. "_Don't _tell Amenadiel."

The End

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